I’ve become a tourist. Sneaker-with-capris-wearing, lanyard-toting, camera-around-the-neck-dangling tourist. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to be cooler, but these days are pretty long and comfort is of necessity.

Today was Jerusalem – day 2. This city breathes religion. I can see why the Lord had to leave Jerusalem to come out of the religious atmosphere.

First stop – The Temple mount and the Dome of the Rock:

Here we were on Mount Zion where we prayed for the reality of the Body of Christ!

Second stop – The Garden Tomb:

There is no way to know for sure where the Lord was crucified and buried but there is compelling evidence that this may be the place.

Next up – the Temple Institute:

Here they have prepared allmost of the items for the temple.

Finally – an The Davidson center/ archeological park:

So I haven’t talked that much about the geography and archeology of the temple mount but it’s really quite amazing. For the most part you’re just going to have to come to Israel to really understand it. (Pause). So I just spent a long time talking to RP and I still don’t really get it all, but the main crazy thing I didn’t realize was that King Herod (the same one who killed all the Jewish firstborn) also built this massive platform for the temple to sit on. That’s the Temple Mount. He basically razed part of Mt. Zion on one side of the temple, and filled in dirt on the other side of the temple in order to build a level piazza surrounding the temple. Then in order to keep it all together he walled it all in with this massive wall, like 100 feet tall with a cornerstone that weighed as much as 2 cargo planes!! Anyway over the centuries, people came and built their homes right up against that wall so that most of it got buried under construction. So now there are only some small exposed areas of the wall (I.e. the Western or wailing wall). And since the Jews can’t go up to the temple mount, because the Muslims have control of the site, they instead come to this section of the wall since it is the closest they can get to the site of the Holy of Holies. Crazy, huh?
So that last pic is of Robert standing in an excavated area near the southwestern corner which used to be a shop. Paul may have stood right there and bought a lamb for sacrifice!